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Wednesday, November 15, 2017

Interview with YA author Susan Badaracco

Author
Susan Badaracco is here today and
we’re talking about her new young adult fantasy adventure, The Oath: Maddy and Silenus.

During her virtual book tour, Susan
will be awarding a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice) gift card
to a lucky randomly drawn winner. To be entered for a chance to win, use the form below. To increase your
chances of winning, feel free to visit
her other tour stops and enter there, too!

Bio:Susan Badaracco is the author and independent publisher of “The
Oath: Maddy and Silenus”.

In her real life, she is
a pediatrician at Kids First Pediatrics where she routinely consoles anxious
moms, retrieves interesting objects hidden in ears and laughs at made up
knock-knock jokes.

She lives with her
husband, a dog (ADHD is not limited to humans) and a cat. Her daughter and son
both made the unfortunate decision to grow up which means she travels more than
she used to.

Welcome,
Susan. Please share a little bit about your current release.

When her past merges with her present, Maddy is not sure what
to think. Was that really an abduction she witnessed? Does she have the courage
to find out?

Silenus is a unicorn haunted by his past failure to protect
his charge. He trains relentlessly but is he fierce enough to protect this
innocent? Will she even trust him?

Can a mortal and immortal pursue the truth together or will
Maddy pay the ultimate price?

Set
in midtown Tulsa, “The Oath: Maddy and Silenus” explores the love that wraps
around a family, the fear that often comes with doing the right thing and the
fantasy that all children should have a fearless protector.

What
inspired you to write this book?I grew up
watching Little House on the Prairie, Touched by an Angel and The
Walton’s. I read Nancy Drew mysteries and The Chronicles of
Narnia series.

The
common thread among these stories is that they were all promoting wonderful
virtues. They demonstrated the power of kindness, honor, responsibility and
courage.

If
we can gently nudge children, through reading, towards having traits that build
character…all while getting wrapped up in a magical fantasy….that would be
extraordinary.

Excerpt from The Oath: Maddy and Silenus:Searing
pain spread across her belly and she caught her breath. Her vision darkened on the
edges, advancing to where it shimmered in the center. She tightened her hand
against her side and the pain elevated another notch. Maddy looked up at
Silenus, her tears collecting and then trailing down her cheeks.

He met her gaze and held it.

Maddy’s back crashed into the steel door behind
her when her legs gave out.

Silenus’
soft brown eyes were like beacons and she locked onto his gaze with the
desperation of a swimmer going under for the last time.

Save
me.

What
exciting story are you working on next?“The Oath”
series continues with a new girl, a younger unicorn… and a world of trouble.

Ashton thought life would be perfect once she
got that new handbag.

Fashionable clothes, trendy shoes…she had
everything a girl could dream about. Until that morning…when she has lost
everything.

Now, Ashton desires only one thing….Revenge.

Egorn had his own reasons for vengeance.

He wants to punish those responsible for the
annihilation of his family.

Orphaned when he was young, he trains
relentlessly to become a unicorn warrior. Nothing else matters. Until that
morning….when he realized that protecting her was more important than anything
else.

Can a unicorn who has no fighting experience
protect an innocent who has no concern for her own safety?

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I believe that if you write, you are allowed to call yourself a writer. The
problem is that we don’t have a term for what you mean. We can describe
different writers… biographer, blogger, reporter, and poet. But what I think
you mean is when did you really feel like you ‘arrived’? That you had become a master
of the written word. I’m not there yet- but what a beautiful adventure it has
been so far.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do
you do other than write and how do you find time to write?

I’m a pediatrician so I don’t write full time.
I get up early, as this seems to be the best time for a lot of writers, and do
my best to put some words down. I used to set a goal of an hour per day. Now I
find I crave the escape of it and there’s no sense putting pressure on yourself
to be creative.

What would you say is your interesting writing
quirk?
I suppose I drank more tea than normal when I started writing, it was those
early mornings! It turns out that my characters suffered the same problem. My
editor ran a program that pointed out how many times I used the word ‘tea’ in
writing my novel. Good heavens. Some of those characters had to quit drinking…but
not me.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A doctor, always. And I love my career but after years and years of exercising
my left brain, it has been fascinating to see my right brain kick
into gear.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

Explore different genres. Develop your own
bucket list of different books. Grow.

I'm listed!

Blog Tour Partner - Goddess Fish

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About Me

I'm a NH native and love New England. I love writing about the region, exploring it on foot, on my bicycle, and in my car. There are so many small communities and fun and interesting people in this area, that I could be here a lifetime and not do all it is I want to do. :)

I'm a moderator at The Writer's Chatroom that hosts live chats with guest authors on Sunday nights 7-9PM EST. Join the e-mail list to get notifications of upcoming guests, then stop in and join the conversation!